Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine can also be termed as Naturopathy, which is a complementary and alternative medicine system. The naturopathic medicine practice depends on the naturopathic philosophy, according to which, practitioners do not use invasive surgery, or most synthetic drugs. Instead they prefer "natural" remedies, for instance relatively unprocessed or whole medications, such as herbs and foods. However, before deciding the course of treatment, practitioners conduct diagnostic tests such as imaging and blood tests. After the tests, they decide the mode of action, which can follow anything given below.

Clinical Nutrition
Food forms the integral part of our daily life and is taken in serious consideration by naturopaths. They are of the belief that many medical conditions can be treated more effectively with food and nutritional supplements. This involves fewer complications and side effects, if compared by other means. Naturopaths use dietetics, natural hygiene, fasting, and nutritional supplementation for healing.

Botanical Medicine
Some plants are used for healing purposes as they have medicinal properties. When compared with chemical drugs, medicinal plants can address various problems at the same time, whereas drugs are unable to do so. Plants are organic in nature and are therefore easily compatible with the body. This makes them gentle and less toxic.

Physical Medicine
Naturopathy also lays stress on treating the person physically by methods of therapeutic manipulation of muscles, bones and spine. They also use ultrasound, diathermy, exercise, massage, water, heat and cold, air, and gentle electrical pulses for the same.

Oriental Medicine
Apart from naturopathic remedies, naturopaths also apply oriental medicines for the purpose of holistic healing. For example, Acupuncture is a complimentary healing therapy which can unify and harmonize the imbalances present in disease conditions, which otherwise, can result in illness.

Psychological Medicine
The unity of body and mind is essentially followed by the naturopaths and therefore they also emphasize on psychological medicine. As mental attitudes and emotional states influence or even cause physical illness, physicians use therapies such as counseling, nutritional balancing, stress management, hypnotherapy, biofeedback etc, to help patients heal on the psychological level.

Minor Surgery
Like all general practitioners, naturopathy practitioners can also perform minor surgery including repair of superficial wounds, removal of foreign bodies, cysts, and other superficial masses. However, Naturopathy believes in avoiding major surgery options.